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- "Captain Parck, I'm told you bring me a gift."
"I do, Your Majesty. A warrior reportedly of a species known as the Chiss." - ―Captain Parck introduces Thrawn to Emperor Palpatine
Voss Parck was an individual who served as a captain in the Galactic Empire's navy, commanding the Venator-class Star Destroyer Strikefast. While leading a scouting party on an uncharted world, Parck encountered the Chiss warrior Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Despite a hostile initial encounter, Parck managed to capture and make contact with Thrawn with the help of the Imperial cadet Eli Vanto. Parck's actions in bringing Thrawn to the Emperor set in motion a series of events that would result in the Chiss becoming a Grand Admiral, one of the highest ranks in the Empire.
Biography[]
The exploration trip[]
- "So this is what you brought me all the way down from the Strikefast to see?"
- ―Captain Parck's first impression of Thrawn's settlement
Voss Parck was an Imperial Navy Captain from the Core Worlds who commanded the Venator-class Star Destroyer Strikefast. During the early Imperial Era, Captain Parck was returning a group of Imperial cadets to the Myomar Academy in the Expansion Region when they were sidetracked by a smuggling pursuit which led them to an uncharted planet bordering the Unknown Regions. After Colonel Mosh Barris discovered a small hut and eight rectangular boxes, he contacted Captain Parck to send a scouting party in accordance with the Empire's Unknown Alien protocols. Parck traveled to the site of the hut in a shuttle with eleven Imperial cadets from the Myomar Academy including Cadet First Class Eli Vanto, a Wild Spacer who was seemingly destined for a career as a supply officer.[2]
Due to Vanto's knowledge of languages, he deduced that the writing on the rectangular boxes was a variant of Sy Bisti, a trade language used in both Wild Space and the Unknown Regions. Vanto informed Parck that the rectangular boxes were shipping containers from a company called "Red Bype" or "Redder Bype." Suspecting that they had made contact with an unknown alien species, Parck ordered Colonel Barris' troops to set up camp and to wait the arrival of a tech analysis team. Shortly later, Captain Parck and Colonel Barris were informed by Major Wyan that one of the V-wing starfighters had crashed on the uncharted world. While Barris went to check the crash site, Captain Parck stayed behind with Cadet Vanto to translate the Sy Bisti writings.[2]
Shortly later, Colonel Barris and an Imperial Navy trooper returned with the V-wing pilot's flight suit, which had been stuffed with grass, leaves, and red berries. Captain Parck ordered Colonel Barris to expand their search for the pilot's body. When Parck observed Barris' nervousness, the Colonel revealed that his men had found that the V-wing's blaster, space power packs, and concussion grenades were missing. Facing the prospect of armed primitives, Parck allowed Barris and his men to search until dark and to resume in the morning. Parck wanted to avoid friendly fire incidents in unknown terrain but kept aerial patrols of the crash site. Before returning to the Strikefast to arrange for a wider starfighter cover, he ordered Cadet Vanto to remain with Colonel Barris' team to study the settlement and search for anymore inscriptions.[2]
First contact with Thrawn[]
- "What sort of experiment?"
"The testing of a theory. Make yourselves comfortable, Colonel; Cadet. We may be here awhile." - ―Captain Parck's plan to lure Thrawn out of hiding
Parck meets Thrawn for the first time.
In Captain Parck's absence, Colonel Barris' search party was harried that night by an unknown assailant, resulting in the deaths of five Imperial Navy troopers and one stormtrooper. The mysterious assailant used the V-wing pilot's stolen equipment to terrorize the Imperials, spooking Colonel Barris. Against Captain Parck's orders, Colonel Barris brought the entire Imperial landing party back to the Strikefast along with the alien settlement. Captain Parck summoned Barris and Vanto to the hangar bay control tower and ordered the rest to report for debriefing. Parck believed that the unknown assailant had stowed aboard and decided to test this hypothesis. He ordered that the hangar bay's lights be turned off and the chamber sealed.[2]
As Parck had predicted, the unknown assailant slipped out of the landing party's troop transport and tried to hide in a Zeta-class shuttle. Under Captain Parck's orders, Imperial stormtroopers apprehended the intruder, who identified himself as the Chiss warrior Mitth'raw'nuruodo. Due to his knowledge of Sy Bisti, Parck allowed Vanto to serve as a translator while he questioned the alien. Cadet Vanto also explained to Parck about the Wild Space legends surrounding the Chiss. Under questioning, Thrawn explained that he had attacked Barris' men by claiming that he had been exiled by his people and that he had been trying to return home.[2]
Parck then steered the topic towards how Thrawn had run circles around Colonel Barris's men. Thrawn admitted undressing the dead V-wing pilot and planting pyussh berries in his flight suit in order to lure small animals into the camp. Thrawn also acknowledged crashing a second V-wing fighter by planting a monofilament line among the trees with the intent of stealing its comlink. Thrawn also admitted killing two stormtroopers in order to steal their armor and stow aboard the troop transport. When questioned by Parck, Thrawn claimed that he had been exiled by his people since he had carried out a preemptive strike against one of their foes, violating the Chiss Ascendancy's non-aggression policy. Following Thrawn's interrogation, Captain Parck ordered stormtroopers to escort Thrawn to the deck officer's office while suitable accommodations and refreshments were prepared.[2]
In his private quarters, Captain Parck complimented Cadet Vanto for his exemplary service under fire. When Parck asked him about the prisoner, Vanto described him as a confident person who was very much in control. When Parck asked about Thrawn's people, Eli said they were merely stories that had been passed down through the generations and that the Chiss people had not been seen on Lysatra for centuries. After questioning Vanto about his background and career path as a supply office, Parck announced that Vanto would be assigned to work as liaison, translator and aide to Thrawn. He also tasked Vanto with educating Thrawn about the intricacies of Galactic Basic Standard. Parck then informed a surprised Vanto that they would be bringing Thrawn to Coruscant to meet with the Galactic Emperor Palpatine, who wanted to learn more about the Chiss.[2]
Audience with the Emperor[]
- "Interesting. You were correct to bring your prisoner to me, Captain. You and your men will return to your ship and your duties. The High Command will provide a suitable reward for your service and initiative."
- ―The Emperor
Parck presents Thrawn to the Emperor.
The following morning, Captain Parck's personal Lambda-class shuttle arrived at the Imperial Palace with Thrawn, Eli, Colonel Barris, and three of the Imperial Navy troopers and stormtroopers who had encountered Thrawn. As a precaution, Parck brought the heavily armed Imperial Navy troops. In the Emperor's throne room, the Emperor complimented Captain Parck for his "gift." Parck introduced Thrawn as a warrior from the Chiss species. Thrawn then offered his services to the Emperor as a resource of information on unknown threats lurking in the Unknown Regions. Thrawn claimed that these threats would pose a danger to the Empire and offered his knowledge and services to the Empire. Parck was present when Thrawn queried about the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who was believed to have perished during the Clone Wars.[2]
At the end of the meeting, the Emperor complimented Parck for bringing Thrawn to him and instructed him and his men to return to their ship and duties. He promised that the Imperial High Command would provide a suitable reward for his service and initiative. Before leaving, Thrawn managed to convince the Emperor to assign Cadet Vanto to work as Parck's translator. The Emperor ordered that Vanto remain on Coruscant to finish his training at the Royal Imperial Academy. Before leaving, Parck stated that he would inform Admiral Foss of Vanto's reassignment.[2]
Personality and traits[]
- "Scarecrow."
"Is this something you people do out here?"
"Some farmers still use scarecrows to keep birds out of their crops. They're also used in festivals and parades." - ―Cadet Vanto and Captain Parck talking about scarecrows
Voss Parck was a human male who served in the Imperial Navy. As a Core Worlder, he was ignorant of scarecrows and regarded them as a primitive Wild Space practice. As a member of the Imperial Navy, Parck followed the Unknown Aliens Protocol despite regarding it as an irritant. Captain Parck was an able commander who was unwilling to risk the lives of his troops in unfamiliar territory. While Colonel Barris was spooked by the Chiss warrior Thrawn, Parck maintained his resolve and lured Thrawn out of hiding by turning off the lights in the hangar bay. Parck held Cadet Eli Vanto in high regard and regarded him as an exemplary officer who was cut out to be more than a supply officer. Parck was also an effective interrogator who maintained a calm composure while questioning Thrawn following their first contact.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
Captain Parck (left) and Colonel Barris (right) confronting Thrawn in The Essential Reader's Companion
Voss Parck first appeared in Timothy Zahn's short story "Mist Encounter," which was published in Star Wars Adventure Journal 7 in August 1995. "Mist Encounter" explored Thrawn's first contact with members of the Galactic Empire in the Star Wars Legends continuity. Parck subsequently appeared in Zahn's 2017 novel Thrawn, a rebooted Canonical origins story of the titular character which incorporated elements of the "Mist Encounter" story. However, Parck's lines are told through the point-of-view of Eli Vanto, the deuteragonist of the Thrawn novel.
Appearances[]
- Thrawn (First appearance)
- Thrawn audiobook
- Thrawn 1 (First pictured)